Bursa

ID:3098816/08/2011

Bursa [1] is the capital city of Bursa Province and is bordered by the Sea of Marmara and Yalova to the north; Kocaeli and Sakarya to the northeast; Bilecik to the east; and Kütahya and Balikesir to the south. Based on a research carried out in 2007, Bursa is the fourth most populated province in Turkey.

During the 1960's Bursa was a relatively quiet city and the means of communication with the outer world were scarce. Thus it met the needs of the Pahlavi regime, who wanted the Imam to have no contact with the outer world. .

What Significance does Bursa have in Imam Khomeini's life?

Imam and Sayyid Mustafa Khomeini in exil in Turkey

Qom's security forces and the SAVAK intelligence services arrested Imam Khomeini in the early hours of the 4th of November 1964, and transferred him to Mehrabad international airport in Tehran. From there, he was exiled and was sent to live in Istanbul.

However after a week had passed, the Turkish authorities and the Iranian government decided to send the Imam to Bursa, which is situated in northwest Turkey. This was due to the fact that the Imam made contact with Iranian clergymen while he was in Istanbul. This worried Iran and Turkey and so Turkey proposed that the Imam should go and live in Bursa, which was a quiet city. Another reason why this particular city was chosen was due to the fact that Iranians were not very familiar with the whereabouts of this city. Imam Khomeini was forced to stay in Bursa for eleven months.

[1]The earliest known settlement at this location was the Ancient Greek city of Cius, which Philip V of Macedon granted to Prusias, the King of Bithynia, in 202 BC. Prusias rebuilt the city and renamed it to Prusia (Προύσα). After 128 years of Bithynian rule; Nicomedes IV, the last King of Bithynia, bequeathed the entire kingdom to Roman Empire in 74 BC. Bursa became the first capital city of the Ottoman Empire following its capture from the Byzantine Empire in 1326. Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries the city witnessed a considerable amount of urban growth. In 1365 the Ottomans conquered and moved the capital to Edirne. However Bursa remained to be the most important administrative and commercial center in the empire until Mehmed II conquered Istanbul. Following the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, Bursa became one of the industrial centers of the country. The economic development of the city was followed by population growth and Bursa became the 4th most populous city in Turkey. Bursa is an industrial city. However the city is frequently cited as "Yesil Bursa" (meaning "Green Bursa") in a reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban tissue, as well as to the vast forests in rich variety that extend in its surrounding region. The city is synonymous with Mount Uludag which towers behind its core and which is also a famous ski resort. The popular 'green mosque' is also located in this city.